He was banned from the road for 12 months and fined £200 with £85 costs plus £30 victims’ surcharge by magistrates.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said police stopped Baker’s Ford Transit van on Raikes Road, Great Eccleston, on January 24 at 9.15pm. A breath test showed 43 microgrammes of alcohol in his body – 35 is the limit.

Trevor Colebourne, defending, said his client had stopped at The Grapes pub after work and had two pints. People often believed they were okay to drive after two pints and that is what Baker thought, but he had drunk a strong lager.

Christopher Topping. 19, threatening behaviour

A teenager who had drunk 10 pints of lager and four double vodkas threatened to stab a landlady after she asked him to leave the pub.

Christopher Topping, who was with a girl who appeared to be under age and getting drunk, flew into a rage on being told to go.

He shouted and swore in the Black Bull pub, Great Eccleston, and after leaving the hostelry returned with a knife in his pocket.

Topping, a 19-year-old former valet, of The Old Chapel, West End, Great Eccleston, pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening manner to landlady Dana Roberts and possessing a knife in public.

He was sentenced to 17 weeks prison, suspended for 12 months, ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work for the community and told to pay £150 compensation to the landlady for emotional distress with £85 costs plus £115 victims’ surcharge by magistrates.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said Topping went into the Black Bull on November 12 at 9.25pm , with a young-looking girl.

He had previously been barred from the pub after taking in an under-age girl.

Topping was not buying alcohol for the girl he was with but she appeared to be getting drunk so they were both asked to leave.

He then threatened to stab the landlady.

Topping left but returned twice. He appeared to take something out of his pocket and struggled at the pub door with a friend who prevented him going in.

Witnesses said a knife was in his back pocket and he later threw the knife over a wall.

The landlady said she had feared he was going to do serious harm to someone.

He told police he became annoyed because he thought the landlady had asked him to leave in a rude manner.

Brett Chappell, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, realised he had done something atrocious and apologises unreservedly.

Topping had broken up with his long-standing girlfriend after finding out she had been unfaithful to him and had also lost his job.

The day of the incident he had received his last pay packet and started drinking in the afternoon.